DIY Solar-Powered Bird House Tweets When Birds Arrive

B-Squares is a start-up creating modular electronic components that allow you to build devices in a Lego-like fashion. The creators have come up with "recipes" for B-Squares to get your imagination going on what can be devised. Here is one recipe any TreeHugger could love: a solar-powered bird house that tweets when a bird enters the house.

B-Squares/Video screen capture

The birdhouse is set up with a simple wooden bird house, and a few B-Square modules including a battery module, an Arduino module, a couple solar modules, and a few other basic parts. When a bird enters the house, you get a tweet. How appropriate.

B-Squares/Video screen capture

Here's a video showing how to put the bird house together

Of course, it's a little more complicated if you want to make this house functional for birds. All the electronic components need to be covered up so that the little feathered friends don't peck their way through the wires or get harmed. But simply putting the components under a false floor in the house and covering all the wires could solve the problem.

If you want to do this project, you can get the modules at the B-Squares page at Seed Studios. But more importantly, this is simply a fun example of how versatile these modular gadgets are and what can be created when you have a range of modular, simple components to put together. This is a tiny demonstration of the future of modular electronics that can be built to perform customized functions. B-Squares is on the lookout for other smart apps for the modules. If you have ideas, be sure to toss them over to Shawn and Jordan at B-Squares!